DOUBLE SKIN/DOUBLE MIND

Double Skin / Double Mind is an interactive dance installation. It originated from the Emio Greco | PC dance training workshop that incorporates intensive movement sequences and provides an awareness of the dancer’s inner body. In this installation, we explore the use of interactive sound and visuals as ways to transmit Emio Greco | PC‘s dance vocabulary.

I developed an interactive system that produces abstract visuals according to the recognized movement qualities performed by the dancer. The approach for the interaction is based on movement qualities, for both the movement analysis and the graphical rendering. The aim of the interactive feedback is to inform the dancer on her movement qualities rather than directly reacting to the postures or shapes or trajectories of her body. This choice is motivated by the strong tendency in contemporary dance to encourage the dancers to focus on their intention that sculpts their movement qualities. Such interactive visuals have a strong pedagogical potential since they provide the dancers with a feedback that leads them to enhance their self-awarness and improve their execution and embodied exploration of movement qualities.

I have evaluated the ability of the visuals to evoke the dancers’ movement qualities. I have also evaluated the dancers’ experience of the interactive visuals in the context of a dance workshop and training. These user evaluations have shown that our system presents
promising features to new approaches for teaching dance where new media supports the learning through practice process of the dancers. For this reason, the installation DS/DM has been welcomed by professional dance educators. It is currently integrated as a teaching tool in the dance curriculum of the Amsterdam School of the Arts.